What To Do When A Death Occurs

Losing someone we love is never easy, but our caring staff will carefully guide you through the many decisions to be made.

No matter when or where a death occurs, the family should call us as soon as possible. Once we find out more about your family, the deceased and their wishes, we can begin making arrangements quickly and efficiently. If you are unsure about any of the steps involved or have not yet made a decision about the kinds of funeral services you would like to have, we can offer our expertise and honest advice or simply give you additional time to decide.

Death in a Health Care Facility

Besides getting in touch with us directly, there is very little for the family to do if their loved one was in a health care facility such as a hospital, licensed nursing home or hospice house. The medical staff will take all the steps necessary to ensure legal requirements are met.

Anticipated Death Outside a Health Care Facility

It is becoming more common for people to choose to die in their own home under hospice care, surrounded by family. When this is the case, your first call should be to the physician or the hospice organization. Without this phone call, the body cannot be released to the funeral home.

Unanticipated Death Outside a Health Care Facility

If a sudden death occurs, your first call should be to 911 in order to dispatch local police to the scene. Typically, the matter is then passed on to the State Medical Examiner’s office who will decide whether or not an autopsy is necessary to determine the cause of death.

Out-of-State Death

If death occurs outside of your state of residence, you do not have to reach out to just any funeral home in the area. We are able to make arrangements nationwide, with the help of reliable agents who work with us. All you need to do is call 720-509-9719 or email director@apollofunerals.com and we will handle the rest. We also offer Nationwide Travel Protection as part of our pre-planning offerings that will guarantee the price of your final arrangements no matter where the death occurs.